Rugby league: Stallions keep final hopes alive

Stallions player Eruera Keepa breaks through a tackle against the Northern Swords in Rotorua on Saturday. Photo: Stephen Parker

THE WAI-Coa-Bay Stallions have come from behind yet again this season to keep their hopes of making the grand final alive.

The Stallions defeated the Northern Swords 40-18 under lights on Saturday night in Rotorua, during round five of the NZRL National Premiership.

The Stallions trailed 12-8 at halftime but took control in the second half, to move to a record of four wins and one loss this year.

Stallions assistant coach Moehewa Armstrong said they had a big preparation on game day to try and avoid another slow start, but they met a hungry Northern Swords team, who came out firing.

"It has been the story of our season. It is a game of two halves, where we generally start slow then in the second half come right and kick on and get a bit of momentum going."

He said the winless Swords played really well in the first half at Puketawhero Park and enjoyed a lot of ball.

"We had a look at our stats at halftime and they just had a lot of possession. They had 18 sets and we only had 11 sets," he said.

"We knew if we could get possession we would put points on the board and we knew not to panic, so I was proud of the guys the way they came out in the second half."

The Stallions only have one match remaining in the regular season against one of the bottom sides, the Central Vipers, in Tokoroa this Saturday.

If they win that match they will give themselves a great chance to qualify for the final.

In a bizarre twist of events, the Stallions finished fourth last season but qualified for the 2014 grand final after the top two sides were relegated for fielding ineligible players.

Armstrong said they had made it their goal to make the final this year on their own merit.

"We felt we had built something last year, even though we made the grand final under different circumstances and we leveraged off that," he said. "And that was always our goal this year, to make the final off our own merit."

He said they were looking at the next game as a must-win game to make the final.

"Every game in this competition is a must-win and we have been treating every game as a grand final.

"We can't really afford to drop any games if we want to make the final, as it is just the top two that make it [with no semifinals]."

Competition for a spot in the final has turned into a three-horse race, with Canterbury, Wai-Coa-Bay and Counties Manukau all chasing the two spots. Wai-Coa-Bay covers a huge area, including Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Gisborne.